The Magic Paintbrush
by Wings of Jade
Summary: When Sakura was 3, she was blessed with a magical paintbrush that could make anything she painted come to life. One day, she painted a handsome male warrior named Syaoran Li...[TEMPORARILY DISCONTINUED]
1. Chapter 1: The Drawing

**Author's Note: **NO, ACH will NOT be continued...it has ended! And NO make-outs...Well, here's a new fic, I thought it would be interesting to write about, so please review! Flames welcomed now.

**News:** Don't you guys want to read ICS alternate ending at the Tomoyo and Eriol fic I made? It's on my website(click on the homepage link on my profile to access!)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Card Captor Sakura. It belongs rightfully to _CLAMP_.

**The Magic Paintbrush**

**By: Wings of Jade**

_Chapter 1: The Drawing_

_**[[Prologue]]**_

_"Don't come any closer, Yang." Yang, a sorcerer with pitch-black hair and red eyes, laughed._

_"What's the matter, Xiao Lang? Scared of me?"_

_"In your dreams," replied Xiao Lang. "And by the way, it's Syaoran now. We're not in China anymore."_

_"Does not matter either way," said Yang. "I am here to curse you."_

_"Not kill me?"_

_"There are things much worse than death, Xiao Lang," whispered Yang. "Like life imprisonment." He held up a paintbrush. It was an ordinary Chinese brush, a wooden stick with horse hair. However, the powers it held was not ordinary._

_Syaoran drew his sword. "Stop right there."_

_"And why should I?" said Yang softly. With a flick of his hand, he cast a spell onto Syaoran. Syaoran froze. He could not move. Yang cast another spell, his red, merciless eyes staring straight at him. Syaoran looked downwards, and was horrified to see that he was turning white; his green robes were turning white, his sword was turning white, everything on him was turning white...he felt himself sucked backwards. A piece of drawing paper had been behind Syaoran, when he was cornered in the temple. When the spell was finished, Syaoran was no more than a drawing on a piece of white paper. He was stuck._

_Yang started to laugh, a horrible, evil laugh. "Let's see who can free you, Xiao Lang," he hissed, and then he disappeared._

**_[[End prologue]]_**

* * *

It had been about six months after Syaoran had been cursed that a girl of about seventeen years found him. This girl was named Sakura Kinomoto, and she was pretty ordinary--she knew little magic, her brother was a sorcerer's apprentice, and her parents were deceased. However, that's where all the ordinary's end. 

When Sakura was 3, her mother Nadeshiko died. Before she left for heaven, however, she left Sakura with a gift, a Chinese brush with white horse hair and made of smooth, dark wood. Before Nadeshiko died, she cast a spell onto it and whispered, "It holds a gift, Sakura, a beautiful yet dangerous gift. Use it well."

When Sakura was five, she started to paint. First, she painted eggs. Eggs, eggs, and more eggs! It was the basic shape for drawing. However, when Fujitaka, Sakura's father, went into Sakura's room to see how she was doing, he saw that her room was flooded with eggs!

When Sakura was eight, she started painting flowers and plants. When Fujitaka entered her room this time, he saw millions of flowers floating around the room--tulips, roses, violets, holly, forget-me-nots, sunflowers, cherry blossoms, plum blossoms, peach blossoms, and even eggplant blossoms, for God's sake!

Soon, something began to dawn on the Kinomoto family. Whatever Sakura painted would come to life. When Fujitaka died, Sakura painted a coffin made of dark ebony. It appeared out of the white paper. Sakura drew people playing instruments, a sad, funeral march, and lots of others to hold the coffin high. Touya was amazed.

When Sakura was fifteen, Touya went to the famous sorcerer Yue, to become his apprentice. Sakura was left to fend for herself. She painted daily. She never ran out of paper, for what she painted would immediately come out and leave the paper blank, so she could start over.

One day, Sakura went to the ancient temple that was on Death Hill. Death Hill was the hill on which many soldiers were killed and beheaded. It was when Yue's twin, the evil Yang rose and tried to take over the land. That time, the Li Clan and the Kinomoto Clan had banded together to overthrow Yang. In the end, Yang fled, but at least half of the warriors were either killed or cursed. One such soldier was the legendary Li Xiao Lang, or Li Syaoran, who was not killed, because his body was not found, but believed to be cursed.

Sakura took a piece of paper out of her pocket and painted a horse. The good thing about the brush was that you did not need paints to paint. A horse galloped off the page. Sakura rode it up the hill. She needed quiet. The neighbours were noisier than usual, there seemed to be something big going on. She could not paint while noise was around her.

She entered the temple. It was dusty and filled with cobwebs. Sakura walked through each of the rooms, pausing the look at the overturned tables, chairs, and whatnot. Then she came upon a room where it seemed most fresh; the tables and chairs were not overturned, and there were less cobwebs than the other rooms. Her eyes gazed around the room. It would be perfect to draw, it was so peaceful and...unharmed. She sat down at a chair.

Then she noticed the drawing.

It was of a boy with short hair and a handsome face. His expression was one of shock, and he was carrying a sword. Her eyes fell to the name below.

_Syaoran Li_.

"Syaoran Li..." she pronounced slowly. "Wasn't that the boy that went missing six months ago?" She picked up her brush and walked over to the drawing. _Wouldn't it be great if I brought him back to life? But...no, I can't risk it. The people say he is a hero, but who knows? He might change after all these months. _She took out a piece of paper and an idea struck her.

_Brown_, she thought, and her brush painted brown.

_Blue, red, yellow, orange, white, black, green, purple, _she thought, and soon, she had completed a paint palette. The palette materialized out of the paper. She took it.

_If I don't paint with the natural colours in the brush, then maybe he won't come to life_, thought Sakura. She dipped her brush into the paints.

First, she mixed a dark brown. She painted the boy's hair and eyes. Then, she mixed orange with white and created a light peach colour, for the boy's skin. Then, she mixed green with black, then white again, to get the perfect hue for his robes. She added a gold trimming, and also made a silver for the boy's sword. She created more colours to perfect the robe. Then, satisfied, she took out a normal brush and started painting.

Hours and hours passed. When Sakura was finally finished a normal painting, she rolled up the paper and walked out of the ancient temple. She rode her painted horse down Death Hill, and went back home.

* * *

Syaoran felt strange. He was stuck, paralyzed on a piece of paper; his brain could not think, his hands could not feel, and he was colourless, just a bunch of lines. But then, when his eyes were painted in a bright, yet deep amber, he could look. He looked downwards. His robes, skin, and sword were slowly being filled in with colour. All he saw was a brush...and a beautiful young maiden with auburn hair and startling green eyes, painting him. 

Then, a peculiar sensation washed over him. He felt...alive. He could move again. He took a step with his newly coloured legs. He stepped off the page. He opened his mouth.

"I'm _free_."

He flexed his hands and fingers. He tightened his grip on the sword. Then, he went into a fighting stance. With two moves, he overturned every single table in the temple room. So! The girl had ended his imprisonment on a page and restored his power, too. He had never felt more alive.

He walked out of the temple and down Death Hill. His sword was out, in case Yang was anywhere. But...time seemed to have past already. Not a lot, like a year, but time nevertheless. He put his sword into its sheath and walked boldly into the Kinomoto and Li Kingdom. They were one, now. He took a step into the marketplace, where people were selling and yelling food, jewelry, and clothing.

It seemed old. In a way. In a new way. How long exactly had he been imprisoned? A cry for help broke his thoughts.

"Stop! Help!"

"Shut up, little girl!" growled a mean-looking man. He had a sword in his hand. In his other hand was the arm of a struggling girl. "You take a look at all my jewelry yet you don't buy anything? What kind of a person are you, lady? Looking but not buying? I'm telling you, when you go to Senichi's shops, you _buy_ or get lost!"

"Halt." Syaoran held up his sword. Senichi turned to look at him.

"Who are you?" he sneered. "Come to get your arms cut off too?"

"No," said Syaoran calmly. Senichi brought his sword onto Syaoran, but he swiftly blocked it with his sword's sheath. Then, Syaoran kicked the man in the stomach. As fast as lightning, Syaoran had the man kneeling on the ground and his arm twisted behind his back. Syaoran leaned forward and whispered into his ear, "I'm going to cut _your_ arms off for upsetting someone innocent."

"Iie! Iie!" cried Senichi shrilly. "Please don't, warrior--I was only punishing the girl for looking and not buying! She said that she didn't bring any money, and she looked at all my jewelry for so long...please, spare me, spare me!" Syaoran twisted his arm harder. Senichi cried out louder.

"Sir! Onegai(please)--don't." Syaoran turned. The girl, with her head bowed down, spoke out. "Onegai, warrior...let him go."

"Girl," said Syaoran, "He tried to cut your arm off!"

"I know, but I still did something wrong," insisted the girl pleadingly. "Onegai, spare him!" Syaoran looked at Senichi in disgust.

"I'm only letting you go because the girl said so," he spat. "Next time, if you try to cut someone's arm off, I won't be polite." Syaoran let go of the man with a final twist. He walked away. A crowd had gathered when Syaoran had Senichi in a tight grip, and they parted to let him go.

"Arigatou gozaimasu." Syaoran turned. The girl who had been threatened by Senichi still had her head bowed. She refused to look at him.

"Do itashi mashite(you're welcome)," said Syaoran shortly. Then he cocked his head at her. "Why do you refuse to raise your head?" He placed a finger under her chin and raised her face to him. His eyes widened.

The girl who set him free.

* * *

Sakura went to the marketplace to buy some vegetables. She could always paint herself some, but sometimes, she needed a break from it. She passed a jewelry stand on the way. All the sparkling jewels and gold was irresistable. She reached out to touch a necklace. It was a dreamcatcher on a silver chain. The owner, Senichi, rushed to greet her with a smile. 

"Hello, there, little girl," he said in a sickly sweet voice. "Come to buy something?"

"Just looking, thank you," Sakura replied. After a couple of minutes the owner's smile began to fade.

"What are you still doing here, baka?" he hissed. "Aren't you going to buy something?"

"I...I have no money."

"_Nani_? You have no money? What do you expect me to do, let me give you the jewelry for free?"

"No," said Sakura hurriedly, "I didn't--"

"I'm telling you, little girl," Senichi continued, "I don't tolerate those kinds of people!" He grabbed a sword from under the stand. Sakura gasped.

"S-S-Sir," she stammered, "Wh-What have I done to betray you?"

"You are wasting my time, touching everything but not buying," he roared.

"Stop! Help!"

"Shut up, little girl," he bellowed. "You take a look at all my jewelry yet you don't buy anything? What kind of a person are you, lady? Looking but not buying? I'm telling you, when you go to Senichi's shops, you _buy_ or get lost!" He raised the sword.

"Halt!" A boy about her age wearing green robes appeared. His dark eyes were focused on Senichi. Sakura looked away, bowing her head.

"Who are you? Come to get your arms cut off too?" sneered Senichi.

"No." In a flash, the young male warrior (or martial artist, he looked like both) had Senichi on his knees and his arm behind his back. "I'm going to cut _your_ hands off for upsetting an innocent girl." A crowd gathered to watch. They all hated Senichi to his guts.

Senichi begged him not to, but the boy seemed unwilling to let him go. Then Sakura spoke up.

"Sir! Onegai--don't. Onegai, warrior...let him go."

"Girl, he tried to cut your arm off!"

"I know, but I still did something wrong. Onegai, let him go!" pleaded Sakura.

"I'm only letting you go because the girl said so," he spat. "Next time, if you try to cut someone's arm off, I won't be polite."

He walked away. The crowd parted to let him go. Unable to hold back her tongue, Sakura burst out, "Arigatou gozaimasu." The boy glanced at her.

"Do itashi mashite." Then he cocked his head at her. "Why do you refuse to raise your head?" He raised it for her. Then his eyes widened the same time Sakura's did.

The warrior from the picture named Syaoran Li!

* * *

**Look! They've met. Wow, this story is going pretty fast...don't worry, the magic paintbrush will have a part soon! Well, it plays a very big part, otherwise it wouldn't be called the Magic Paintbrush! REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2: Realization

**Author's Note:** Wow! I never knew I'd be getting this many reviews...thanks! Oh, and to answer your questions:

1) yes, I got it from a Chinese fable called The Magic Paintbrush

2) no, just because Sakura knows magic doesn't mean she enchanted the paintbrush. The paintbrush itself holds magic.

Oh, and by the way, brush and paintbrush are the same thing.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Card Captor Sakura.

**The Magic Paintbrush**

**By: Wings of Jade**

_Chapter 2: Realization_

It seemed as if time had froze. The two locked eyes, and a sudden connection was made.

The girl freed him.

The boy was freed.

The girl was right there.

The boy was right there.

Then, as fast as lightning, Sakura tore her eyes away from the young man and sprinted down the street, clutching her vegetable basket, her heart beating violently against her ribs.

"Hey--Hey, wait!" shouted Syaoran. He chased after her. The crowd started murmuring.

"Strange..."

"She seemed scared of him..."

"He saved her _life_! I mean, arm!"

"They look like they know each other..."

"He saved her _arm_ and this is what she pays back in return?"

Gradually, the crowd scattered. Senichi was left cursing and muttering under his breath. He couldn't care less that the two seemed to know each other, or how the stupid girl paid him back. He rubbed his arm. It hurt.

* * *

"Hey--Maiden--Girl--onegai(please)--wait!" He finally caught up with her and spun her around. She seemed terrified. 

"You...You've come to life..." she whispered.

Syaoran was confused. "Um...yeah. I've been meaning to mention that. Um...you _are_ the maiden that freed me, aren't you?"

"I wish I wasn't." The girl took a step back.

"What's wrong?" asked Syaoran softly. "You seem so scared of me. Do I look scary?"

Well, no, he didn't, he was actually quite good-looking. And had a well built body too, but Sakura was way to scared to say so. And you just don't say those kinds of things out loud, anway. Besides, he was _alive_. She had made something else come to life _again_, except it was bigger and more important and more famous...Touya was not going to be happy.

"Iie," she whispered back. "I...I..."

"Can you please tell me why are you so frightened?"

"You're _alive_."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Syaoran Li. The famous martial artist magician." Syaoran wasn't surprised.

"You got that right. Is that why you're scared?"

"No." Her voice was shaky. "I...I brought you to life..." She made to run again, but Syaoran grabbed her.

"All I saw," he said quietly, "Was you painting me with a paintbrush. Then I could move again, think again, talk again. Can you please explain this to me? Do you have some sort of magical paintbrush?"

He got it right. Sakura squirmed, trying to get away. Finally, somebody knew she had something so powerful. Syaoran loosened his hold, but not too much. "I'm only curious. Why can't you tell me?"

"Because!"

"Because what?"

"Because you're not supposed to know!" Sakura kept trying to break free. Then, her paintbrush fell out of her basket. Syaoran caught sight of it. He let go of Sakura and picked it up.

"This is the brush you used to free me," he said quietly.

"Give it back."

"Can you tell me the whole story then?"

"Iie."

"Then I won't."

"Onegai!"

"Tell me." His voice became slightly angry.

Sakura gritted her teeth. Then she dropped to her knees. Syaoran's eyes widened.

"Wh--?"

"Onegai, give it back to me," pleaded Sakura. "It holds powers you know naught of, it is extremely dangerous!" Syaoran knelt down to her eye level.

"What is your name?"

"Sakura." He looked at the brush, and then held it out to her.

"But you must promise to tell me the story."

"I..."

"I won't tell anybody."

"Swear?"

"Swear."

Sakura took a deep breath. "When I was three, my mother left me with this paintbrush as a gift. Just before she died. She told me to use it well, because it was powerful yet dangerous.

"Soon, when I started taking drawing lessons, I realized I could paint anything and make it come to life. I could paint someone half man half monkey and it would still come to life. Anything I painted would come out of the paper and...well, you know, do whatever it's supposed to do. Like you. The weird thing about it was, I could have no paints yet it would still paint whatever colour I wanted. And well...I'm not sure who enchanted the paintbrush to paint life. Definitely not my mom, because she knows no magic, not even the ones to cure warts, and a spell this powerful must take a powerful wizard. I suspect it is an ancestor of my mother's." Then Sakura looked Syaoran in the eye. "There. Happy?"

"Very," replied Syaoran. "So, your mother left you a magic paintbrush that could make anything come to life? Interesting. It sure made _me_ come back to life."

Sakura shook her head. "But still...I've only made little things come to life. Eggs. Flowers. Leaves. Ants. Never a human. That would be way to big. But now..."

"I won't tell a soul," promised Syaoran. "And I'll keep my coming back a secret. Is that fine?"

"Fine."

Both of them were silent.

"Well, I...I guess I have to go now." Sakura took a hesitant step backwards. She turned around.

"Wait." She felt a hand on her shoulder. Her heart started fluttering. She moved her head towards him.

"Hai?"

"Thank you for trusting me."

* * *

Master Yang watched as the two departed. His mirror went blank. Or, _black_, to be more exact. He scowled. 

"I cannot _believe_ it. There's something more powerful than my Colourless Curse? Impossible. Absolutely _impossible_." He gripped his chair tightly. Then it broke in two.

"Just when I'm restored to almost full power and I can conquer the Li and Kinomoto kingdoms, the two brats come with their little _magic paintbrush with powerful and dangerous powers_! I am so MAD. Why me? Why does the stupid paintbrush have to make things come to life? Stupid dummies. I wish _I_ had a paintbrush like that. Then I'd be completely--" He stopped talking to himself. An evil grin unfurled on his face.

"Stupid Yang, why didn't you think of it before? Here you are, saying, _I wish **I** had a paintbrush like that_! Well, if you want it, then steal it!" He clapped his hands twice.

"Heiji!" Heiji came hurrying to Master Yang at once.

"Hai, Master Yang? You need something?"

"Get all the most powerful dark monsters you can get. I need them to do me a favor."

"Hai, Master Yang. What sort of favor do you want them to do?" Master Yang repaired the chair with a flick of his hand and sat down onto it.

"Steal a certain magic paintbrush."

"Consider it done, sir." Master Yang waited until Heiji went, and then started laughing.

"Soon, the universe will be mine!"** (A/N: Cliched ending, I know...)**

* * *

**AAAAAAAAAAAAH! The evil Master Yang from the prologue wants the stupid magic paintbrush! What will happen? Will Sakura and Syaoran work together? Will he get it in the end? What if they're not powerful enough against Yang? REVIEW AND FIND OUT, OF COURSE!!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Shape Shifter

**Author's Note:** Whoa...I am really freaking out here now. I have NEVER gotten this many reviews before. Or have I? Thank you to all!

**Elven Sword:** Don't worry, I'm not offended. In fact, I'm pleased that you were the only one who noticed that paragraph.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Card Captor Sakura.

**The Magic Paintbrush**

**By: Wings of Jade**

_Chapter 3: The Shape Shifter_

Sakura ran her fingers over the magic paintbrush. It was dangerous. She had painted an _actual human being_. She didn't even want to think about it. She hoped Touya wouldn't find out.

A dove darted in from the window and dropped something onto the floor, then flew back out. Sakura picked it up quickly. Only her brother would deliver a message with a dove. She opened it.

_Dear kaijuu:_

_I hope everything is going just perfectly horrible over there at your place. But of course, that's typical me, wishing my lovely little monstrous sister bad luck. Master Yue has taught me quite a lot this month. I can even enchant the mirror to show me how you are doing. But that takes a whole **lot** of my energy and by the time the mirror shows me how you are, I would have passed out in tiredness. I'm still practicing._

_Remember your stupid paintbrush. If you make anything big come alive, I swear I will rip your head off your shoulders. You remember what okaa-san told us. It is **dangerous**. Hopefully, you have followed my advice. Hopefully. Knowing you, you'd probably have painted a human by now. YOU'D BETTER NOT!_

_Master Yue tells me that I only need a few more months to go to the next level. When I've mastered **that** level, I'll come home. Finally._

_Sincerely,_

_Your brother Touya-chan_

Coming home after a couple of months? No way! Then he'd definitely find out about Syaoran Li. Darn..._why_ did she paint him in the first place? Now she was really going to get it!

Sakura glared at the magic paintbrush, innocently lying on her desk.

"This is all your fault!"

* * *

Syaoran stepped into his old house, pausing to take in the difference from six months ago. Dust filled and web filled, it looked pretty old, like it had been abandoned for six years instead of six months. _What the hell **happened** here?_ wondered Syaoran. _Did Yang try to imprison my home or something? Sheesh._

He took something from inside his robes. It was a book, with the title _The Book of Spells_, opening the traditional Asian way, from right to left, and written up and down, from right to left. It was full of Chinese characters, which Syaoran understanded, since he was of Chinese descent. He bet anybody else in the Kinomoto lands would even recognize them.

Syaoran hadn't reviewed that book in six months. It was a gift from his martial arts and magic sensei Yue, and it contained complex enchantments that took days and weeks to learn. However, it wasn't completely filled; it was a thick volume, and only little more than half of it had characters on it. Yue had put a tricky charm on it so that each spell would appear when Syaoran was ready to learn it.

He opened it to where the last spell he had mastered had been last. Another spell had been added under it. Surprised, Syaoran read it.

_Heal Wounds_**(1)**

_Essence of Yue, be no longer sealed  
Spirit of Yang, let me be healed._

_-words used by the Sorcerer of Medicine Yao, when he was in trouble and needed to heal himself_

_This spell is immensely difficult to learn, but worth the work. When you have mastered it, you will be able to heal yourself easily, no matter how damaged you are; if you can summon Heal Wounds, then you will have no problem, for the magic will do the rest. The words used by Sorcerer Yao are a sort of inspiration._

Syaoran smirked as his eyes traveled to the couplet. He never laughed. Maybe chuckle, but that was the limit. He _so_ did not laugh. He was that kind of person, setting limits for himself, rather than others. The spell mentioned Yue and Yang, possibly the two most powerful sorcerers in the world, but polar opposites. He read on, and then seated himself onto the dusty floor. Realizing it was dusty, he waved his hand carelessly and his house automatically became un-dusty and clean again.

He looked at the spell. Perhaps he could master it at the moment. After all, if it appeared, then it meant that he was allowed and ready to try it. But as soon as he got comfortable into lotus position, he heard a scream. He rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess. A damsel in distress?" Then he grabbed his sword and with a swish of his green cloak, he vanished.

* * *

Sakura rushed to Willow Pond, her auburn hair flying behind her. She rode on a painted horse, and all the while, she kept thinking, _Tomoyo, Tomoyo, please be okay..._

She had received word that her best friend was in danger. Sakura knew that Tomoyo had gone to Willow Pond for a swim, but she never imagined that she would be in trouble. The more she thought about it, the more upset she was with herself; Tomoyo wasn't the best swimmer, she should have gone with her! UGH! Now her boy friend (he was a friend that's a boy, a boy that was her friend, but not her _boyfriend_) Eriol had rushed to her and told her that Tomoyo was drowning!

When she reached Willow Pond, people were crowded around the pond. Sakura pushed through them quickly (_A little **too** quickly_, she thought) and reached the pond.

"Tomoyo!" she shouted. "Tomoyo! Can you hear me? Where are you?" The people around her began muttering. Sakura felt the tension rising in her. "Tomoyo! Where are you?"

Just then, a lock of dark hair floated to the surface. Then, it was quickly followed by another lock, and then another lock, and a head sprouting _tons_ of dark hair. Sakura felt relieved.

"Tomoyo? Is that you?"

"Come here, Sakura," said Tomoyo, her back to her. Sakura was confused.

"What do you mean? I can't go into the water, I--"

"Go. Into. The. Water." Tomoyo's voice was becoming quite menacing. Sakura looked around her. The people had scattered.

"Why?"

"I need help with something."

"What?"

"You'll know when you come in." Sakura grimaced. It was not like Tomoyo at all to be so blunt. She checked that her paintbrush was safely tucked into her skirt's belt, and then stepped hesitantly into the water.

Immediately, Tomoyo turned around, but it was not Tomoyo's face that she saw, but somebody else's face. Her eyes were black, and her mouth was stretched into a sinister smile. Her hair turned white. The person who impersonated Tomoyo rose from the water. She was wearing a tight silver dress, fanning out at the ankles, and it was strapless. She carried a crystal ball in her right hand.

Sakura stepped out of the water swiftly. "Wh-Who are you?" she stammered.

"Do you really need to know?" she asked in an eerie voice. Sakura felt a shiver creep up her spine.

"Wh-Where's Tomoyo?" she demanded in a shaky voice. "What have you done with her?"

"She went a _long_ time ago," sneered the woman. "I can't believe someone like you can be so gullible." Then, without another warning, the woman shot towards Sakura with astonishing speed, her claw-like hands stretched out, and Sakura screamed.

The claws barely reached her throat before somebody shouted, "_Circle of Fire_!**(2)**" Sakura saw something bright red and hot sear the woman's hair, and she recoiled. Sakura backed away and looked up.

Syaoran, the warrior she had set free, the guy who she had been worrying about for the past few hours, was floating down, sword drawn. He landed smoothly, and watched patiently as Sakura's would-be killer tried to put out the fire, finally jumping into the water. Sakura was too terrified to say anything. Her hand curled around her paintbrush.

When the woman emerged, smoking, her eyes had turned red and they were glaring at Syaoran.

"Syaoran Li. I should have known. Never missed a chance to save a damsel in distress, have you?"

"Never missed a chance to make a damsel in distress, have you?" Syaoran returned calmly. His quick wit and smart mouth was often more efficient than six _Circle of Fire_s. But the killer-ess merely threw her head back and laughed.

"Do you even _know_ me?" she hissed. Her hair suddenly became blue, then yellow, then red, then black, then brown, and then white again. Her eyes became green, then blue, then gray, then yellow, then back to black. She became skinny as a stick, fat as a pumpkin, and then back again. Syaoran shrugged.

"Iie. But I know what you are after. If you leave right now, I just might spare your life. And," he said, "Judging by your quick shifting of appearance, I would say you are a Shape Shifter."

"_Clever_ little boy, aren't you? Yes, I am a Shape Shifter. Therefore, I can turn into _this_ stupid little girl--" she pointed at Sakura, "and you wouldn't know the difference."

"Oh yes I would," replied Syaoran. "Because you don't have the magic paintbrush."

"We'll see about that," hissed the Shape Shifter, and then she morphed into a replica of Sakura. The crystal ball was in her right hand, but then she stuffed it into the front of her outfit. Sakura's eyes widened as she saw an exact copy of herself shoot at something that looked like the speed of light towards her real self. In a flash, Syaoran had pointed his sword at her and shouted, "_Freeze_!**3**" The Shape Shifter was suddenly encased in ice, inches away from Sakura. Syaoran shot towards Sakura and asked, "Are you alright?"

Sakura nodded shakily. "I'm fine."

"Is your paintbrush still with you?" Syaoran took a step closer. Suddenly, Sakura smiled.

"Nope," she answered, and then, her hands became claws, and she sank them into his chest. Syaoran's eyes widened.

"You--You're not...You're not Sakura," he gasped. The fake Sakura smirked and yanked her claws out of Syaoran's chest. Blood began staining Syaoran's robes, trickling from ten tiny holes in his chest. He gasped for air. How could that be? No _way_ could a Shape Shifter be _that_ fast!

He let out another gasp. The fake Sakura watched him. "You are _so_ slow, Li," said the Shape Shifter. "I made the switch extremely quickly so you would be confused. Honestly, can't you even see _that_?" She laughed. Then she observed herself in her crystal ball, which she plucked from inside her clothes. "Hmm. I like this form. I look pretty good." Then she laughed again.

Syaoran sank to the ground, holding his chest wounds. "_Heal Wounds_**(1)**," he sputtered. "_Heal..._" The Shape Shifter laughed even harder.

"Have you gone crazy or something? Please. Now you're trying to heal yourself?" Syaoran's breath came in short, ragged gasps. He was losing consciousness. He had to remember that spell. What did it say? He couldn't 't...remember...

_Essence of Yue, be no longer sealed  
Spirit of Yang, let me be healed._

"The poem..." Syaoran arranged himself in lotus position. "_Essence of Yue...be no longer sealed, Spirit of Yang...let me be healed._" He hated Yang with all his heart, and hated even having to mention his cursed stupid dumb name, but then, he needed to be healed badly. Did the Shape Shifter have poisonous claws or something? He felt his eyes going black, his brain churning...

He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to stop the blood running down his wrists. Then, suddenly, his chest didn't hurt anymore. His breathing came back to normal. His magic started rising inside of him, and he felt energized. He picked up his sword, much to an astonished Shape Shifter.

"What--Why are you still alive?" she hissed. "Why? I will--"

"Kill me? Think again."

Syaoran ran towards her, nothing but a green blur, and stabbed the Shape Shifter in the chest, at the same time calling, "_White Lightning_!"

"_NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO_!" shrieked the Shape Shifter, as lightning started crawling all over her body. Syaoran stepped back to watch her get fried, but then...his White Lightning spell was slowly disappearing, and...the Shape Shifter's wounds weren't visible!

"Don't think a puny little piece of metal can finish me," hissed the Shape Shifter. She was still in Sakura's form. "I will totally destroy you, you filthy little magician." Her arm mutated into a deadly spiked mace and started swinging towards Syaoran. Syaoran blocked every attempt the Shape Shifter tried to spike him, but his sword kept getting chipped. He jumped up and aimed a 360 degree kick at the Shape Shifter's head, then stabbed at her again. The Shape Shifter blocked him and jumped back. She rubbed her head where he had kicked her.

"Playful little baka, aren't you?" she said ruefully.

"Playful, but not baka," shot Syaoran. "_Freeze_**(3)**!" The Shape Shifter was encased in ice once again. Syaoran panted. She was tough. Then he looked at the real Sakura, frozen in his magical spell. He pointed his sword at her and said, "_Return_**(4)**." The ice suddenly disappeared, and Sakura was back to normal. She shivered.

"What happened?" she asked. Her hand went to her waist, where the paintbrush was.

It wasn't there!

"My paintbrush!" cried Sakura, patting down her torso and legs. "It's gone!"

"What?" said Syaoran. "But--" He looked at the Shape Shifter, trapped in the ice. He walked around her. Then, he saw that in the Shape Shifter's belt was the paintbrush. He put his palm up to the cold ice.

"_Burn_." A single flame escaped from his hand and snaked its way into the ice, melting a small hole to the paintbrush. Syaoran took it and threw it at Sakura, who caught it.

"There's your paintbrush."

"Arigatou..." Sakura didn't know what else to say. They stood, looking at each other, in silence.

Suddenly, the Shape Shifter started Shifting! It began to transform into a flame, melting the ice that Syaoran had frozen her with. Sakura watched, horrified, as the Shape Shifter began morphing into Sakura again, when...

"_Water Dragon Spirit_!**(5)**" commanded Syaoran. A translucent blue dragon shot out of the end of Syaoran's sword, and wrapped around the Shape Shifter, who was still in the middle of transformation, which meant that she was still half fire. The water dragon looked like molten glass, having the Shape Shifter in a tight grip, and when the spell disappeared, the Shape Shifter had gone.

"She's...dead." Sakura's voice was shaky.

Syaoran collapsed, exhausted. The Water Dragon Spirit spell was effective and powerful, but required way too much energy. He shouldn't have used it. But at least it destroyed that Shape Shifter.

Far away, Yang watched in his mirror. He fumed and threw his porcelain bowl down, which shattered into pieces and scattered his dinner. Heiji hurried towards him to clean it. When he collected the pieces and went to throw them out _quietly_...

"HEIJI!"

Darn.

"Heiji, you big fat fool, get over here!"

"Yes, sir?"

"You told me the Shape Shifter would be smart enough to lure that stupid girl there and get the magic paintbrush. But _no_, she draws the attention of Syaoran Li who somehow manages to heal himself after getting hurt and kill the stupid Shifter!"

"I'm sorry, sir," said Heiji apologetically. "I had no idea, sir."

"Well, send another monster! I need that dumb brush quickly."

"Will Yumi**(6)** be good enough?"

"She'd better be."

* * *

**Okay, people, this is the first monster of Yang's they must fight. There will be more monsters, as well as more adventures. REVIEW! Hey Elven Sword...spot the flaw yet? -winks-**

**1: Heal Wounds: a spell in which you can effectively heal your wounds by saying the couplet or 'Heal Wounds'. It is pretty complicated to master, though. Syaoran had luck with him when he healed himself.**

**2: Circle of Fire: fire spell. Summons a circle of fire to burn your enemy.**

**3: Freeze: a spell in which you can encase your enemy in a barrier of ice.**

**4: Return: allows you to undo your spell. Sorta.**

**5: Water Dragon Spirit: summons a water dragon to extinguish any fires. Powerful, but tiring.**

**6: Means beauty in Japanese. I think.**


	4. Chapter 4: Atlantis

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay. High school is _so _tiring. Hope you're happy with this chapter. To answer some questions:

1) This fic uses Japanese, okay? I only use Chinese _names_.

2) Tomoyo is _not_ dead. She left the pond a long time ago, that's all.

**Elven Sword:** Don't _worry_--the story's only started. Once I'm finished, I'm sure your questions about the plot will be answered. Glad you found that mistake, by the way. I didn't think anybody would find _that_.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: READ THE END OF THE THIRD CHAPTER IN CASE YOU ARE CONFUSED WITH THIS CHAPTER.**

**Disclaimer:** I _so_ do not own Card Captor Sakura. Belongs to CLAMP and CLAMP only.

**The Magic Paintbrush**

**By: Wings of Jade**

_Chapter 4: Atlantis_

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Sakura worriedly, realizing Syaoran's state.

"I'm fine," he snapped, though breathing quite hard. "Can't you...can't you protect yourself?"

"Gomen," said Sakura quietly, "I didn't realize I would be in this much trouble. Want to stay at my place for a bit?"

"I'm...fine," he panted. "Fine." Then he blacked out.

With a HUGE effort, Sakura turned him over onto his stomach. She grasped her paintbrush tightly, just thinking, _thinking_ about how dangerous it was, and it had gotten Syaoran into trouble. Then, she painted a cart with a rope onto his back, since she didn't have paper. When the cart came out of the back of Syaoran's robes as a real cart, Sakura heaved Syaoran onto it, and tied the cart to her horse. His robes were unmarked.

Well, aside from the blood stains he had had before.

* * *

When Syaoran woke up, a cold towel was on his forehead, and his vision was swimming dangerously in front of him. It was as if a porcupine had replaced his brain. He tried to sit up, and then the porcupine started going crazy, stabbing and jabbing at his head, making it hurt even worse. He groaned. He hadn't experienced this much pain since the first time he tried to fight against his sensei. 

"Where the heck am I?"

"Oh, you're awake." Sakura took the cold towel off his head and soaked it in a basin of cold water. "How do you feel?"

"Porcupine."

"_Nani_(what)?!"

"It's not right," muttered Syaoran, "The healing spell said that I wouldn't be _this_ tired; why am I now? And why is there a porcupine in my head?"

"Porcupine?" Sakura was confused.

"Sakura-san," Syaoran said without looking at her. "Can you leave me alone for a couple of hours? I need to practice that healing spell."

"But--the porcupine!"

"I'll survive."

Sakura opened her mouth, but then she thought better and exited the guest room, still a bit worried. Syaoran watched her go, and with a great effort, sat up. He reached into his robes and took out the _Book of Spells_, opening it to the page where the Heal Wounds spell was. He perused it once, then read it more carefully twice, to make sure. Then he arranged himself into lotus position, and cleared his mind, closing his eyes.

_Heal_, he thought, _Heal Wounds. Essence of Yue, no longer be sealed; Spirit of Yang, let me be healed...let me be healed..._he shifted his focus to the parts that hurt--his head. His chest, from the Shape Shifter's claws. _Spirit of Yang...let me be healed. _He summoned the last of his strength, tensed his muscles...

Suddenly, he was bathed in a light, healthy-looking blue glow. His breathing became more steady, his lungs feeling less crumpled up. His chest wounds, which had come back after he had used his Water Dragon Spirit spell, were suddenly gone. His head no longer had the porcupine. He could think a lot more clearly again. He felt his back straighten naturally. So, _this_ was the effect of Heal Wounds!

The blue glow faded. Syaoran opened his eyes and got up from the bed. He felt fresh, renewed, just like when he had been set free by the girl called Sakura, although that time was a bit more exhilarating than this time. He took his sword.

Just then, Sakura opened the door a crack to check on him. She had not heard anything come from the room, and was curious to see what Syaoran was doing. She was surprised when she saw him looking completely fine, health restored, and no wounds at all.

"Porcupine gone?" she asked.

"Long time," he replied seriously. "Thanks for taking me here. Was it tiring?"

"Nope," answered Sakura, smiling at him. _Her smile is so bright_, he observed, _and her eyes are always sparkling when she does. How can one person be **so** happy?_ "You were barely any trouble at all."

"Okay then," he said.

Then, Sakura opened the door fully open and drew out a green robe from behind her back--exactly the same as the one he was wearing, but with no rips or anything. Syaoran raised his eyebrow. "I think you need something better than ripped robes, but I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I just prepared one the same as your present one."

"Where the heck did you get a robe exactly the same as mine?" he demanded. "I had mine custom-made!"

"Oh, I didn't know where to get it," replied Sakura, "I just painted it."

* * *

Yumi glided through a crowd around the marketplace effortlessly, her long lavender gown flowing slightly, though there was no breeze. Over her gown was a translucent white robe, untied. Her skin was moon white, and in one of her hands was a strange magical item; it _looked_ sort of like a crystal ball, yet was more like a ball of running water, molten glass, and it sparkled even without light. Her beautiful lavender eyes scanned the crowd carefully, and her perfect lips were moving soundlessly, muttering to herself. 

"No...no...no...not here..." She was looking for two people, whose images Yang had practically burned into her eyesight. He would reward her greatly if she was able to find them. After flicking from one person to the other, Yumi came to a decision:

She would go find Sakura Kinomoto and Syaoran Li at Sakura's house.

* * *

Sakura brought him a bowl of delicious soup and a meal. Syaoran ate without a word, and only ate about half a bowl of rice with vegetables and meat. He wasn't really that hungry after the spell, which had restored a hell of a lot of his energy. 

"What is your last name?" he asked when he finished.

"Kinomoto."

"Sakura Kinomoto. Kinomoto Sakura. Okay." Syaoran reached into his robes and took out a couple of coins. Sakura's eyes widened. "Will you let me live here, Kinomoto-san?"

"Sure, but..."

"I know, I know, I have my own home but why live here? Because I need to protect you." Sakura went pink.

"I don't need you to save me, thanks."

Syaoran rolled his eyes. _Why are people so **stubborn** and so **stupid **sometimes?_

"Fine, not _you_, the stupid paintbrush."

"The paintbrush?"

Syaoran rolled his eyes again. Sakura was kind, and she was beautiful, but she seemed like she didn't know anything. "Have you ever been attacked by monsters like a Shape Shifter before? No, I guess not. Obviously, they are after your paintbrush. Why else would they try to kill you? That paintbrush is not ordinary, I'm sure you've guessed that by now. I bet they're working for some almighty evil baka so he or she can take over the kingdoms or whatever. So, I have to make sure they don't get it."

Sakura still shook her head. "I don't think you understand. I don't _need_ you to protect me from the paintbrush. I'll do fine on my own. I can save _myself_."

"I doubt it's enough," growled Syaoran. "I'm staying here and that's final."

* * *

Yumi walked out of the marketplace, trying to blend in. When she was sure that nobody was looking, she leapt off the ground and flew **(yes, FLEW)** north, and in a couple of moments she touched down in front of a small, cozy-looking house. She pressed herself beside the door. 

"I doubt it's enough," said a male's voice, irritated, "I'm staying here and that's final."

"I _still_ don't think you understand. I'm not a little girl, okay? I can save _myself_. I don't _need_ you." A female voice.

"You think I like this? No, I don't. Will you _please_ stop protesting? I'm not trying to help _you_. I'm trying to help everybody."

"Oh, so you think I'm not? You sound as if you know everything. Well, you don't, and I suggest you leave before you pointlessly hurt yourself again."

"That's not your responsibility."

"It is if it's for the paintbrush, which is _mine_. And this is also my house?"

Yumi sucked in her breath excitedly. So, the paintbrush _was_ there!

"Then I'll stay somewhere else. I'm obviously unwelcome here." The male sounded disgusted. Then, Yumi heard the knob turn, and the female walking after the male.

"Hey--" That's when Yumi jumped out and flung the strange crystal ball at them.

* * *

Syaoran opened the door, rage pounding through his head. Sakura chased after him, saying, "Hey--" but Syaoran wasn't that easy to cool down. 

Then, suddenly, he did.

All his anger, worries--anything that made him unhappy--evaporated like water. Sakura stopped talking behind him, and she looked as if in a daze.

Well, they _did_ have a reason to be in a daze. Their surroundings suddenly turned into that of an island, with sand beneath their feet and water washing gently onto it. There was a magnificent castle behind them, and mermaids were swimming around, laughing as they frolicked in the water. Children ran around the land, playing tag and falling down. The sky was a clear, ocean blue, the sun shining brightly above.

Just about the most beautiful woman Syaoran had ever seen moved smoothly towards him, wearing a strapless white dress, her golden hair flowing behind her. She smiled warmly at the two of them. "Welcome," she whispered.

He became suspicious. _Where the heck are we?_ he thought. _What happened to that ugly brown grass and that annoying robin on the tree? Where are we?_ Sakura seemed to be thinking along the same things.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice slightly dreamy.

"Atlantis," the woman whispered. "Paradise. You have no worries, duties, or troubles here. You are in Atlantis."

_Atlantis..._the word lingered around his tongue. _Atlantis_. No worries, duties, or troubles here. _Atlantis...?_ Syaoran frowned.

"Atlantis? But Atlantis doesn't exist!" The woman's smile lingered.

"That's what people think. But Atlantis exists, and everything bad will come to an end. Come," she addressed Syaoran, "let me show you around." She beckoned to Sakura. "Come." Syaoran followed, his angers and worries returning.

The woman introduced herself as Yumi, one of Atlantis's many guides. She liked to put her arm around Sakura's waist a lot, but Sakura would always move away. Syaoran watched the paintbrush, never taking his eyes off of it.

"Atlantis has been hidden for a long time. Only the people who are worthy of Atlantis find it. I think you two are in luck; you have finally found Atlantis, which means that you two are probably good people. Do you know why so many people are unable to find Atlantis? Because they are greedy. They want the goods, the riches, the peace and quiet it offers, but only the people who are unfortunate or are unselfish get to find it. It has been at least ten years since anybody has come down here."

Yumi smiled at both of them. "I think you two have been through a lot of adventures. Why don't you two stay for a massage?" She clapped her hands. Some girls appeared, giggling. Syaoran had had enough--massage? Come ON!

"No, that's fine. Both of us need to leave now."

"Nonsense," said Yumi airily. "You both need to stay."

"No," repeated Sakura now. In order to have a massage, they'd have to change clothes. Her paintbrush was right under her clothes.

Yumi's eyes flashed. "Nobody escapes Paradise."

"Well, I do," said Syaoran coolly. "Bye." He turned to leave.

He felt a claw grab his arm. He yanked it out of reach. One of the pretty girls had snatched him. She was smiling, but it didn't seem genuine. "Stay," she said sweetly. "Onegai(please)?"

"Gomen nasai, miss," replied Syaoran. "Come on, Sakura Kinomoto, let's go."

The girl suddenly lashed out with her hand, which had previously been a claw--_WHAT? Girls's hands don't turn into claws!_ Alarm bells went off in his head. In that fraction of a second, Syaoran drew out his sword--stabbing the girl right in the heart.

Cries were heard, shouting, "No!" and "You monster!" and "How dare you kill someone on paradise!" Syaoran ignored them. He forced his blade deeper.

But miraculously, the girl did not die. Instead, her skin merely--okay, maybe not merely--rotted and disappeared, her eyeballs and lips peeled away, and she was suddenly a skeleton with a white robe and dark hair. She gave a rotten smile. Two teeth fell out. Syaoran stumbled back in horror; okay, so people couldn't help it if they were ugly, but could what about rotting skeletons?

"You're not human!" he burst out.

One by one, every single human on the so-called Atlantis smiled, and their flesh, eyeballs, and lips peeled away, revealing skeletons. Yumi, the beautiful woman, suddenly looked ten times scarier with sharp, black teeth and empty dark sockets. She seemed like the leader. The sky suddenly darkened, and their surroundings changed to something resembling a dark, bare, dead forest. Sakura's eyes widened; tricked!

"Of course we're not human," she said, laughing evilly. "We are False Beauty. We are the Dead. To make ourselves more presentable, we take on the form of humans."

"I had a feeling something like this would happen," Syaoran spat. "There is no such thing as Paradise, is there?"

Yumi's empty eye sockets glittered, as if there were really eyes in there. "You seem smart, little boy. So, you should know what we are after."

"The paintbrush, am I right?"

"Correct. Hand it over, and no one gets hurt. Including you."

"Back off, don't ask about the paintbrush, and no one needs to go back to their grave."

Yumi laughed harshly. "We are already dead, boy. Do you think you can kill the dead?"

Syaoran did not answer. Instead, he leapt into the air, his sword above his head, and he brought it down onto the whole group of bones, yelling, "HIYA!" He slashed expertly, then braced himself as millions of bones flew in every direction. Wasting no time, he sent a one-armed karate chop at the nearest skeleton, and a upper kick at another. "Run!" he yelled at Sakura. She did have to be told twice.

Syaoran was battling Yumi now. He sliced her skullish head off quickly, but the mouth still spoke and the body parts still moved. "You bastard!" the head yelled. "I'll get you for that!"

"No you won't!" he shouted, and pointed his sword at her headless body. "_Second Sun_**(1)**!"

At the same time, the skull shouted, "_Dark Whip_**(2)**!" from somewhere.

A brilliant burst of light blasted out of the tip of Syaoran sword, illuminating the whole, dead, grounds. At the same time, a tendril of pure darkness lashed from Yumi's bony hands towards Syaoran. The two spells crashed into each other, creating a HUGE explosion; Syaoran was blasted back, and Yumi's body was blasted into (bony) bits.

Syaoran was unconscious again, because of two reasons; one, the blast, because two powerful spells would cause terrible trouble, and two, the spell itself--Second Sun was a complex spell just like Water Dragon Spirit, and used up much of the caster's energy.

A lone skeleton staggered onto two feet. He was the only survivor. Sakura had been knocked off her feet, and her paintbrush skittered across the ground. "Iie!" she cried desperately. "I--I can't move!"

The skeleton spotted it and dived for it eagerly. "Hah!" he shouted triumphantly. "Now Yang will reward me greatly!"

Yet the second he touched it, he felt his bones vibrating, his skull spinning, his whole body shaking--what was going on?

But he didn't have time to think, because in that fraction of a second--

BOOM!

He was gone.

* * *

**You want to know why the paintbrush went boom, right? Well, refer to Sakura and Syaoran's argument about the protection thing, and maybe you'll get a hint.**

**Wow, this was LONG.**

**(1): Second Sun: The sun is about the brightest thing in the sky, right? Second Sun is a spell that creates a blast of light imitating the brilliance of the sun, to blind your enemy.**

**(2): Black Whip: a famous attack of the Dead, which involves them constructing a whip fashioned of pure evil darkness, and using it against their enemies.**

**I suppose you're wondering about Yumi, and why her names means beauty? Basically, I just wanted to show that Yumi was only false beauty, that inside she was a monster. I know, I know, this probably isn't up to your standards, but chances are, I'll probably rewrite it later, so no worries. I'm in a rush right now, and have no time to double check, and besides, THIS IS ONLY A FANFIC.**


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